The size and constitution of the human body can affect the availability and efficiency of medical care that can be provided. For example, adipose tissue, such as a pannus or an abdominal apron on an obese patient, may completely obscure access to a body region requiring a medical procedure. In cases of excessive adipose tissue, a treating medical professional attempting to examine, treat or otherwise access the lower abdomen or groin region of the patient may have only limited visualization and may have insufficient access to perform procedures.
Some current systems and methods for dealing with tissue, such as the pannus, include having medical staff use their hands to hold the weight of the pannus or other adipose body tissue during the entire procedure, using tape (or tape in conjunction with spray adhesives) to hold the pannus or other adipose tissue, using hooks that secure or grab the pannus or other adipose tissue, and supporting the pannus or adipose tissue with a sheet that may be tied around the patient's abdomen and to a bed side rail or chair. One example of such known techniques includes the method and apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,732, issued to Blurton et al. on November 2014, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Retention of Adipose Tissue”, and assigned to the same assignee as the present disclosure (the '732 patent).
An additional system and method for dealing with tissue includes a sheet-like adhesive film that completely covers the patient's skin in the displaced area. Such a system may have several shortcomings including for example excessive adhesion over the contact area. This may make the adhesive film difficult to apply. In addition, because the film may cover a large area of the body, it may be cumbersome to remove. An example of this type of technique is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,427,222, issued to Galbierz et al. on Aug. 10, 2016, entitled “Retractor/Stabilizer for Excessive and/or Redundant Tissue and Method of Use”, and assigned to GSquared Medical, LLC.
Accordingly, the above-mentioned conventional systems all have shortcomings that continue to make medical procedures difficult. The present disclosure overcomes one or more shortcomings in the art.